Zayn Malik
Appearances
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Like looking back at like childhood stresses, like I feel like a lot of them were so like finicky that it was just probably just some teenage shit, you know what I mean? It wasn't anything important. So I don't really look back at things like that in my personality, the way I am. Like I've never really like looked back and been like, oh yeah, this is one thing that like kind of was, you know,
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
stressful thing I think life is interesting like that I think you know it depends on what you're going through at that time and how you feel and then you can reflect on it at a different point and feel completely differently about it it's so interesting I have a lot of respect even for you answering it like that because I know that you've been open about like at one point your family being on food stamps and
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
and um it just got a bit overwhelming you know like going out of your door to like just craziness all the time so i just wanted a bit more like um of a surrounding that like i'm used to like where i grew up um in bradford like in in the uk it's a lot more this kind of pace and vibe so um i feel like i just fit in better around here than i do in the trendy spots as it as it as it were you know
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
And it's like, that's interesting if you... Yeah, no, and obviously there is, there was some serious things like that for sure too, but I don't look back at it in terms of a negative light, you know, it all helped to like shape and mold who I am and make me grateful for the things that I have now, you know?
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I think I was about 11, 12. I'd sung a little bit before, like I'd done a bit in school choir and stuff. Funny story, I actually fancied these three girls that were in choir, and they were triplets, and that's why I just was like, I'm gonna be in choir just so I can hang around these girls.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
And then it developed from there when I went into high school, I went to a performing arts college, specifically majored in sports and performing arts.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
and they were doing the school production that year for Greets and I auditioned and nobody could sing like at all like in our whole school and I went and did this like singing audition everyone was like whoa you can sing and then my music teacher like recommended that I get like a couple of singing lessons and stuff and then she said I think you should go on X Factor I think you've got a good chance like and it just kind of went from there like
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I was like eight as well, by the way. So swaggy.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I need to just, yeah, spend this time here.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I think it was just nerves. I built it up in my head and I was like, yo, this is a massive thing. And yeah, I was like, I don't think I'm going to go today. And my mom's like, you are going, you're going right now. You're going to go see what happens. So yeah, definitely owe it to her for that, for sure.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah. But I had no idea, no clue. Like they told us like we had to have like a backing track. like a karaoke version. And like, I was so like inexperienced at that time that I didn't even know what that was. So like, I was just planning on singing acapella. So I was just gonna do it like without anything. And it was so weird for me to adjust to singing on a backing track.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I was like, this is such a weird experience. I think even Simon looked at me a little bit weird. Like when I did the acapella, cause everybody had backing tracks and stuff, but yeah.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I don't know. It could have worked either way. Maybe it made me sound really bad too.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, I do. Mario, Let Me Love You. And the reason I said that is because I've seen that performance back a few times and cringed every time I watched it. So yeah, it's not my best vocal performance. There's a lot of nerves involved there for sure.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
There's some talent. Yeah, there's some potential.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, it does. It feels like so much longer than it actually was because so much stuff's happened in that time. Yeah, it's very interesting, very surreal. And I feel all them nerves again when I watch it. I feel like I could give myself a hug and be like, It's okay, bro. Cause I literally, I'm like holding onto the mic for dear life. Please, nobody hurt me.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, we knew each other, like, just from around. Okay. Because we were, like, a similar age and stuff. So naturally you speak to people who are, like, a similar age to you around there and stuff. And we were at boot camp together and I met Harry on my audition day because we both auditioned in Manchester. And we were literally sat next to each other in the audition.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
He was sat right next to me. We spoke and I went in and did like a producing audition round. And then he went in straight after me and we spoke a little bit there. Yeah.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Obviously, you know, you don't see all the behind the scenes and stuff, but yeah, you spend a lot of time with the contestants.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Um, it was kind of strange. The like, visual evidence of life changing, like people being outside of the studio and stuff was like, when we were on the live shows, we started to get like a fan base and an audience and you could see that people were paying interest in us. So yeah, from that point on, like it was kind of a bit crazy.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Not really. I don't think I comprehended it at all. I think it's just a rush. It was just fun. And then the repetitive fun over and over again eventually is going to take its toll. So then you look at it a certain way when you're in that and it feels overbearing. Now I look back at it like it was a rush. It was fun and it was something that was...
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
amazing like so of course i wasn't going to understand it it's not something i expected in my life but um it was definitely fun for sure yeah
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, you can definitely get into deep places of thought if you really reflect on it in that kind of manner. To be honest with you, I don't think I was even intellectually capable to do that at that age. I think it's took time for me to process them things. I think I've had to process it with an older mind and look at it backwards and be like, yo, this was...
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
why this happened and this is what happened and you know we took off at this point and this interview made this happen and then this song made this happen and just decipher it you know as like facts rather than like in an emotional manner because um emotion like just seems to just blur things you know so i i try not to think about them things on that kind of level like oh i'm super famous like i just
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
In the moment, yeah, just enjoy it. And then like in, you know, 10 years time, you can look back and be like, this is what happened.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Right, right, right. If you have that luxury.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
No, no, there's none out here. I think there's like laws and stuff. They're not allowed to even take photos in certain places.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I've probably said this a lot of times, but honestly, it was one of the craziest and most bizarre moments ever. I remember coming out of a studio once in Sweden when we were recording What Makes You Beautiful. And this is before even we dropped our first single. And there was like a row of like maybe five, six bins, like trash cans, like outside of the studio.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
And I came out and like every single one of the trash cans opens and there's like three people inside of each trash can. Wait, what? How did that happen?
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
No, not really. I don't have paranoia in that sense, no.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I can hear the crickets. It's amazing. There's no crazy people out there.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I have. Wawa is a nighttime lifesaver out here.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
So yeah, I think we just got thrown into the deep end and we kind of just had to swim. And I feel like we did a good job in terms of keeping it together and making the music that we were meant to make. I think I got out at the right time. I think if it had done it any longer, it might have affected me a bit more, but I think we did the right amount, you know?
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
This is the make out that I was like the brooding serious one. Yeah. But that wasn't necessarily my personality type. I think it's just a marketing scheme. You know, you've got the Teletubbies, you've got Spice Girls, you've got whatever. Like it's just a marketing scheme, you know, like, oh, this is this one. So I get it. But I don't think you can define...
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
an entire person to one personality trait you know we're a little bit more complex than that um yeah i don't know what my trip would have been if i'd have given myself one it might took a long time to come up with one if i was going to do that so i could see why they just said oh yeah you can be the mysterious one
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
So you love it. Yeah, like late night studio sessions. There's nothing else open. You have to go to Wawa, get the meatball sub.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, I think Simon was behind the Teletubbies too. Stop. Yeah, and the Power Rangers.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Well, yeah. And maybe some of the fans kind of like...
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
naturally say this to you know i mean from black pictures and things like that like so you did you agree so you didn't agree with it but do you think you leaned into it more or do you think i just had one face to pull you know in my i was doing the zoolander like that was it you know i mean i was only a young kid i didn't know what else to do i get it if anything maybe it made it easier because you're like this is just my lane yeah this is me just stick with this they won't ask me too many questions do you think you're mysterious
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
um not really i just uh i just like to just like chill you know like to be in the back a little bit um yeah i'm a bit more relaxed i'm not like trying to like be in your face you know you're not trying to jump in yeah exactly
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, I think I'd known for a minute. There was a lot of, look, I don't want to go into too much detail, but there was a lot of politics going on. Certain people were doing certain things, certain people didn't want to sign contracts. So I knew something was happening. So I just got ahead of the curve. If I'm being honest with you, I was like, I'm just going to get out of here.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I think this is done. And I'd just seen it.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
um and i completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record if i'm being completely honest with you i was like i'm gonna jump the gun here for the first time i'm passive dude but when it comes to my music and and my business i'm serious about it and i'm competitive so i wanted to be the first to go and do my own thing that's that was
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
the reason and then there was obviously underlying issues like within our friendships too we'd been together every day for five years and we'd got sick of each other if i'm being completely honest so we were we were close you know we done crazy things with each other and that nobody else in the world will ever understand or have them experiences that we've shared with each other and and i look back on it now in a much fonder light than i would have you know as i just left um there were great experiences i had great times with them but yeah we just run our course
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
For sure, yeah. It's an idea, isn't it? It's like when you watch Friends. You don't want Joey cussing off Chandler, you know what I mean? You want these people to be best friends. Like, it's an idea.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I don't think I was afraid. No. The first thing I wanted to do was call my mom. as cheesy as that sounds. I just wanted to call her and be like, is it okay if I come home? Is this good? And she was like, yeah. So as soon as she said that, I was like, yeah, I'm good. I'm done. I'm over this. I didn't really care about what anybody else thought. That's the type of person I am.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Like we were talking about earlier, I try to close them opinions off. I'm not really the type of person who defines myself on other people's opinions of myself. If people know me and know me well, they know who I am.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
And I spend that time on them people and make sure that they're looked after and they get that time with me rather than the people that I'm never necessarily even going to see or have a conversation with, especially if it's a negative remark. Positive remarks are always nice. I don't really pay attention to either of them, if I'm being completely honest with you. Just don't let it get in my head.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah. Your circle. Yeah. And as long as they're good, then that's all that matters to me.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, man. She's like, can I come back? My dad wasn't so cool about it. He was like, no, no, you got to stay with Simon. Simon's going to stay. You're right. Like, don't come home. Stay there. But my mum was like, yeah, you can come home. Please, son, come home. You know?
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
It was interesting, I was just trying to get stuff together. I wanted to get a plan of action, you know what I mean? So I was on a bit of a mission. I wasn't there too long. I went home for a little bit and then I went back to London and started working and stuff.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, for sure. It's a very different experience standing on stage by yourself too. It's a whole different workload as well, singing three and a half minutes of a song completely by yourself. When you've got a song divvied between five people, you're singing a little bit of a verse, maybe some ad-libs. I preferred the workload, I'm going to be honest.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
You're just like, sing, it's your part. Yeah, nice one. But yeah, I just kind of had to like make an adjustment. I started practicing a lot more, singing a lot more and just like making sure I could sing for three minutes.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
yeah definitely i think that's why um i've took the time i have to like not even necessarily do interviews and do too much like press exposure because i feel like we were so overexposed in the band that like it takes a bit of time for you naturally to progress as a human and give something else that is interesting that you have to say you don't want to be sat there just
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
saying the same shit on repeat, you know what I mean? Day in, day out. Like, I think there should be a good, healthy break in between. And that was my approach to it for sure. So I feel like in terms of, you know, figuring out what your identity is as an artist, the only way you're going to do that is by living.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
You know, you can't just be on the conveyor belt and expect to have any sort of experience that's new that you're going to give people.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
A typical day for me is, it kind of varies, depends, you know, like what kind of mood I wake up in, but I take it pretty easy. Like I just, either now, because obviously I've got my daughter like 50% of the time, it's a balance between the two things. But when I'm by myself, a typical day is, I probably wake up around like midday, have a shower, eat some food.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
career like was there anything that you really wanted to make sure that you could bring to life that maybe you weren't able to when you were in a band like creatively creatively I just wanted to talk about things you know that were a bit more real like an authentic to situations I was going through in my life like obviously certain things that we would talk about in the band was always very you know clean
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
cut like just glazing over the top not really any depth or any stories to what's going on um and that was always a big thing for me obviously i understand again from a marketing scheme that like the the audience and the fan base we were appealing to at that point was that kind of vibe so it was never going to work um for that kind of audience but yeah i just wanted to show people that had a bit more depth
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I think it's difficult for people to write songs even from one perspective you know like there was five of us in the room when we used to write sometimes and it was so hard to get us all to like have the same viewpoint and want to talk about the same thing so in that sense from a creative point it is a lot more freeing for me like I can fully get to grips with every part of it you know the melody the story the production the emotion the feeling that I'm trying to convey in each song so
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
um i don't know um i i try to uh like move in a certain way that you know hopefully i will still have some juice you know i don't want i don't want to give everything all it will go so um if they don't know everything yet that's okay but hopefully they get to know me a bit better in this interview you know see they're getting to see my thought patterns
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I'm trying, I'm trying. I'm trying to be an open book.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Describe myself in three words? Well, I'm definitely not going to use mysterious as one of them. I would say I'm a chill person. Funny, loving guy.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I don't know. I think I like the fact that I'm pretty witty. Like, I'm pretty smart. And I enjoy that about myself, I think.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
and then like figure out if I'm gonna go to the studio and do some writing because I've been in like writing mode for a long time just like working on my records and stuff so just yeah just getting into the studio pretty much and then I'll be there like all day until I go to sleep then you're going to Wawa and then I go to Wawa yeah and stop off for a sandwich are you uh are you someone that likes to be alone
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, yeah. I enjoy that. I'm pretty smart. I have a little laugh to myself, you know, about that.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I'm a bit sensitive sometimes. yeah not in a bad way yeah I can like take things the wrong way sometimes I'm definitely working on that like give me an example like I just like tend to like if somebody says something to me like I'll take it the wrong way if like I really care about their opinion what they're saying to me got it yeah then you'll get upset yeah
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah. Like I said, with the people that are close to me.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, for sure. well boundaries yeah no not boundaries just like I'm just learning not to like get in my head about certain things you know across the board like I exercise that well in terms of like dealing with the media and things like that but I don't necessarily do that too well in my personal life sometimes I take things to heart yeah
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Oh, I've got a few. I've got a few. Oh, really? A few really sad ones, yeah.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Um, that I'm like super serious, like that I like just, I'm like super stern and serious, yeah, all the time, when I'm not, like, um, I'm just chill. I know that like a lot of people have like high energy personalities and it's just not the way I am. You know what I'm saying? I'm just a bit more relaxed about things.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
We're just relaxed. I didn't even have to drive too far. Came to your mom's house.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, so I think we kind of touched on it a bit earlier, like when we're talking about, you know, like the nature of our job, you know, like what we were doing in the band and the situation being on stage in front of thousands of people. I think it's a really normal place to experience anxiety, you know, like you're going to go and perform in front of,
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
you know, a lot of different people that you don't know who they are. And it's not a natural thing to do, you know, in terms of everyday life. You don't just talk to thousands of people, you know. So it was something that I had to, you know, learn to adjust. Anxiety, for me, I've learned is a feeling that now has a word, you know. And I feel like for...
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
generations, human beings have felt it and not really even been able to put their finger on what it is. But we overcome it, you know? And certain things in life can change your perspective on them things. And I think for me, since I've had my daughter and since she was born,
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Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I like my own space. I like to collect my thoughts in like a more quiet environment. I feel like when there's a lot of people around, it kind of like just gets a bit hectic for me. Yeah, I just, I like to chill by myself from time to time, but I don't mind hanging out with people now, like on occasion, you know what I'm saying? Like it has to be the right kind of environment and I have to like,
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
The main thing in my mind is like trying to be a good example to her, like in terms of, you know, I can do things and I can achieve things and I can overcome things and you can do this too. And to let things like, you know, a feeling stop you from doing that after having a child feels like a really small thing.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Like, I feel like I've like had to step up, you know, as a man or just, you know, as a person.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
um and be this example to her that doesn't uh succumb to these feelings that's why i'm even doing this interview you know like i i used to get a lot of anxiety around like having a conversation like this just in this kind of environment and i want her to be able to look at me and be like yo my dad's doing this you know he's he's the man he's cool yeah he's he's a cool guy yeah so um that's helped me a lot for sure that is
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
And I don't think that's the way you can look at it. You know, I think everybody's situation is individual. I think it takes an individual experience then to happen for somebody to overcome that too.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I enjoyed it. That was the thing. I enjoyed being in that feeling. And then it got to a certain point, I think, where it just became too much. It just was weighing on me, that feeling of... like anticipation and then getting the adrenaline and then the after feeling of that, you know? As a young kid, I loved it. Like I loved being on stage and I loved performing.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
It was like a free space for me to go and be a character because it was, you know, I was playing a role in some little school performance. It was nothing serious. When it became a thing that had a lot of weight behind it in terms of, you know, people watching and stuff, then you're going to have... You're going to have natural feelings of anxiety.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Um, just the idea of like, um, like not being able to just do normal things, like to just go outside and like walk out onto the street, you know, like, cause where we lived, it was kind of a bit crazy and there's just people always there like waiting to take a photo and stuff. And obviously. Thinking about having a child and raising her in that environment, it was just very claustrophobic for me.
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Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I didn't want her to have to be exposed to that because she didn't choose it. It was a choice that I made. So I was like, we need to get out of here so that she can have some chance of a normal childhood where there's not cameras flashing in her face constantly.
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Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
deciding to move here i can imagine you're trying to shield her from this life that you also are still trying to figure out like is it a lot um i feel like um there's there's a there's a healthy way to do it you know um i'm not necessarily trying to shield her from it because she's she's gonna know you know she's gonna get to a certain point she's gonna have
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Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
at a certain level of awareness, she doesn't know what's going on. I'm just trying to give her an option, you know? So it's like a choice for her. Like, if she wants to be away from it, she can be out here, like, because... I am a famous person and I get sanctuary, you know what I'm saying?
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
So I feel like she is going to have a lot of options and whatever she wants to do in her life, obviously I'll support her for sure.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
the crazy thing is obviously I have her 50% of the time so that time I have with her is so important because I feel like she's growing up so fast like so when I'm with her I don't work like at all I just spend a full day with her doing the things that she wants to do like painting playdoh this that go to the park go to the theme park go to the zoo like we just have fun like and I feel like I've like
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
rekindled my own childhood through her, you know what I'm saying? I feel like we get to a certain point in adult life where everything's kind of vague and gray and boring, and she's brought that color back for me, for sure, yeah.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
um what is a dad quality that you've proudly taken on that makes you laugh a little when you think about it of like oh my gosh i can't believe i'm doing this i keep being told i'm telling dad jokes and i'm leaning into it i'm just like it's okay it's cool like i'm using like christmas cracker jokes and stuff and it's really funny like people just look at me like i'm a weirdo i'm like yeah i'm a dad now i'm allowed to tell these jokes you have to give me a pass wow zane i didn't expect that i'm not gonna lie i love a dad joke
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Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
My favorite thing to do with her is she shows a lot of signs of like musical intelligence already. So I just love like playing instruments with her and singing with her. Like I'll sing and she sings along and she can do like
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Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
good harmonies and stuff already and she's only two and a half like and she harmonizes with me well and like finishes notes and she can hold them for a long time I'm like you might have a bit of ability you um I'm picturing the two of you playing with play-doh and you start singing and then your daughter starts singing she can hit these high notes like falsetto like yeah it's crazy I'm like yo like whoa you're
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Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I couldn't do this. I didn't speak till I was three. How the fuck do you sing? It's mad.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
And she remembers like full lyrics to songs as well. Like every word. It's mad.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
She loves Disney movies. So we sing a lot of Disney songs together. Yeah. Like, you've got a friend in me and stuff. She sings it really cute.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I think she's funny. She's a bit of a cheeky one. She likes to have a bit of a joke and stuff and laugh a lot. she's she's chilled though but she loves reading as well um which is something I think she definitely took from me like she just has a affinity for words like she remembers everything has becoming a parent changed your relationship with your parents definitely yeah in in a
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
in a like respect way you know like you you just have so much respect for the things that they've put aside for you you know like when you realize all the sacrifices that you make as a parent like just to be there and be present with your child like you can't have nothing but respect for that for sure I know you said like obviously you have for 50% of the time you want to make the most of these moments like what's something that you guys have done together recently that made you so happy you had like such a great time we went to Nickelodeon
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, I've always thought like it would be, you know, a pretty normal reaction to feel that way around so many people. I think anybody who was like overwhelmed in that manner would feel, you know, a certain type of way about it. But I'm definitely learning to manage it a lot better. Like as I'm getting older, like it's more of a choice, you know, rather than a hindrance.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
in in new jersey oh my god it's so fun good i enjoyed it i know it's like super childish but like i had a lot of fun yeah i think i had more fun than that it was good that is so good how is co-parenting going co-parenting is is good yeah um we have a really good relationship for kai she's the the you know the main importance yeah um so yeah it's going well yeah yeah okay
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah. So for me, like we were talking about earlier, I don't tend to get involved when people, um, say things online, whether it's got something to do with me or whether it doesn't. Um, because for me, my most valuable thing that I have in life is time. And so, That takes so much time in a toxic environment to explain yourself to people and justify this. So I just kind of keep to myself.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I knew what the situation was. I knew what happened. And the people involved knew what happened too. And that's all I really cared about. If anybody of the same mind would look at the situation, I believe that you could
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
respect that like I just didn't want to bring attention to anything you know I just wasn't trying to get into a negative back and forth with her any sort of narrative online where my daughter was going to look back and read that and be able to read into it and it would just be something that was there was no point I believe I dealt with it in the best way, like in an amicable, respectful way.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
And that's all that needs to be said, you know? Yeah, I just, I feel like it's a lot of negativity, you know?
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
And like you said, your family issues, you know, like if something happens in the family, like I'd rather keep that between the family, you know, you don't need a whole audience of people and opinions because it's hard enough to manage between two.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
It's not like I can't do that. It's like I'd rather prefer not to.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Give it to us. Yeah, so I'm working. Well, I've been working on my record for a minute. And I have a single for the summer coming out called Love Like This. That's like a standalone song. Just a summer jam. It's a good vibe. Like, yeah, it just feels like summer.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
um i was yeah like when i first started like performing by myself i was i was nervous and i'm still nervous now because it's been a few years that i've been on stage but i have this like energy too like i feel like i have something to give and i want to get on stage and be there again to feel that That's one thing I can say, you know, like my fan base has always been supportive in that manner.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
They're always just like, we're here, we've got you. Like when you're ready, we've got you, you know, like come, we're going to come and listen to your tunes. So yeah, no, I've got to be super thankful for that. And I'm super grateful and I feel that love for sure. So I'm ready to prove these people right, you know.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, definitely. I'm doing a record I don't think people are really going to expect. It's a different sound for me and it's got some... like more narrative going on, like real life experiences and stuff. So yeah, my daughter's mentioned in there a couple of times.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Like my main passion I think outside of music is art. I love to paint and I love to draw. I do a bit of cooking.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I'd like my fans to feel like they got to know me a bit. Cause you keep saying I'm Mr. Mysterious. Yeah, no. So I'm hoping they got to know me a little bit and they feel like they've seen me and caught up with me a bit and you know, they're going to see me a lot more like, and I want them to know that like,
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
across the board like i've kind of had a full like mental rehaul and in the best way thanks to my my child and you know being able to see things in a different light and um i'm going to be a lot more present and hopefully people are going to see me a lot more i love it yeah zane thank you so much for coming on call her daddy this was truly a pleasure thank you for having me
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I can cook a lot of different things, but I like to cook meat, like, specifically. Like, I have a smoker outside and I like to smoke, like, lamb and I cook, like, my, like, I'll do, like, grilled vegetables with it and stuff. Oh, shit.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
There was no embarrassing photos for the record. What did you say? I didn't see any embarrassing photos. I think you hid them all.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I wasn't always good at cooking, unfortunately for me. My mom kind of spoiled me as a kid. So when I was living by myself, like at 17, there was some botched jobs done for some meals. Yeah, it wasn't great. Some disgusting stuff was going down for sure.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, horrible. Yeah, just sandwiches, you know, out of like crisps.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I do. Yeah, I've got a lot of animals. I have three cats. Three dogs.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
They're kind of like in different places. I have some dogs at one part of my house and the cats in the other. We have three turtles, six chickens.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
No, I haven't. Not this time. I got too attached last time and it made me really sad.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah. I took my chicken to the vet. to get a scan because something was wrong with her and the vet laughed at me and said people don't bring chickens here and then they still charged me for an x-ray and then I took my chicken all the way home and cried and she died in my arms
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
It is kind of funny, but not because the chicken died, but it's just funny seeing me take a chicken to the vet.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, fully on my lap, yeah. She died on my lap.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
No, yeah, she had something wrong with her. We tried to rescue them. They were going to be slaughtered, I think. And they had all kinds of things wrong with them, yeah. But I've got new chickens now, and they're all healthy and stuff, but I didn't name them for that reason.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Thumper. Like Thumper, but with an F. How did you come up with that? Uh, Bambi, Thumper, the rabbit.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
um where do you want me to start just wherever it feels right go ahead uh yeah bradford's not obviously like pennsylvania in terms of you know like the wealth and the way that it's like you know looked after taken care of it's uh it's a impoverished community you know there's people below working class there that um that have you know a hard environment that they're growing up in you know everyone's kind of got
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
I think I did an interview like six years ago. It was the last time I did one.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
some issues going on at home or something's happening you know even if it's on the street or whatever wherever you go there's there's a lot of um confliction you know um so it was very different to um to hear in that sense for sure but um i'm very grateful for where i grew up because it it definitely like you said shaped and molded a lot of um identity for me um early on i was questioned
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
you know like interrogated about my identity because of my environment like it's just the way it is like you have to have a good understanding of who you are um and uh i'm really grateful for that you know it helped cement um my own identity myself i think
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
And I'm curious, is that- My father is, my mom's English.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
No, not necessarily just in every sense of the word, like even like your fashion, the clothes you want to wear, the way you want to cut your hair. It was always something was questioned, you know, if you weren't doing the norm that was like that everybody was doing or everyone was following, you know, everyone would wear a certain type of pant or a certain type of shoe.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
And if you weren't dressed that way, you would get questioned about it. You know, like people would be very like in your face and be like, give you shit. So you had to like have a bit about you so that you could, you know, know who you were and have a conversation back. Yeah. I have a bit of wits about you as it is, you know, street smarts, for sure.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, there's a balance, a mix, sorry, of everything. It depends, you know, there's the peer pressure in schools and stuff, but then it's on the street. If you go out there and stuff, if you're just trying to have a good time, you know, like, it's not as...
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
friendly phone you know it's a bit more like irate there's a bit of aggression going on you know what I mean talk to me about where you grew up like are you in an apartment are you in a condo are you in a home I grew up in a terraced house um
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
uh in a rented property and we never owned our own house um so yeah it was it was a small house there was like three bedrooms kitchen living room but the streets like are all like every house is like stuck next to the one next to it you know i'm saying there's no space you have a garden that's like like enough for maybe a dog to sit in um so yeah it's a bit different for sure yeah
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
um i feel like i learned a lot of things like early on um my sisters are very opinionated you know they're very um strong characters um and uh yeah i love them they're great they're doing a lot of fun yeah it was always entertaining in our house for sure i love
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Definitely not. It was just kind of weird. Like when the shopkeeper would ask me like why I was buying them and I'm like, obviously I'm not buying them for myself. You know, like, do you have to ask me that? Like, just let me buy this.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, it's interesting. A lot of people ask me that. They always think it's super random that I live out here. I ended up coming out here with my ex a bit, and I fell in love with it. It was just super calm and chill, like you said, suburban. And I just wanted to take a break from the busy city, because I was living in New York for three years at the time.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
We didn't have money for extra snacks. It was just needs to a main, yeah.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Sorry, the other way around. But yeah, exactly. It was always an awkward conversation, but yeah, I didn't mind it. I respect it. I really do.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Um... My personality as a kid, I think I was a bit of a cheeky, cheeky chappy. Yeah, I used to mischievous, used to get into all kinds of just childish stuff, you know, like climbing in places I shouldn't have been and falling out of trees and smashing windows and stupid things, yeah.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
With a football, accidentally, of course, you know.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, just like childish stuff though, you know, nothing too serious.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Oh, definitely, yeah. I think there was always an opportunity to go and do something that, you know, would have got you in, like, serious trouble. I was really lucky in the sense that, like, my mother and father, like... were super protective of that environment.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
My dad was always aware of, you know, the things that were out there and he always explained stuff to me from a young age and kind of kept me away from that, if I'm being honest. And that's where, like, I developed into being a person that likes to be by myself and like in my room, like, singing, recording, writing. I got into poetry and things like that because I was in my room a lot.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
And I didn't like to be in them kind of environments. It was just a bit too much. I was always a bit more of a reserved kind of guy, a bit artistic, wanted to do my own thing. I didn't really want to be in that. So my parents did a good job of keeping me away from it, I think.
Call Her Daddy
Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (FBF)
Yeah, I think I got on with pretty much everyone, but I wasn't like, I was the type of person who only had like two, three close friends. I didn't have like a big group. Like I knew people, people knew of me. I don't think I was the cool kid, but I wasn't bullied either. Yeah, like if people knew me, they were friendly with me. Yeah.